A mentally unwell man has been jailed for life after shooting his cousin dead and injuring his brother at a family wake. The victim’s partner said her world "feels completely empty" and she has to remind herself "everyday that he is gone."
Details of the Crime
Jahmel Joseph, 29, blasted Jordan Rodney in the eye and shot his brother Omar Joseph in the head as well as the hand as the family gathered in Hammersmith on June 11 2025. The next day, Joseph, who has schizophrenia, sped away from police, crashed his Mercedes into at least 20 cars, then ran through a number of private gardens to evade arrest, dumping the weapon before he was found.
Court Proceedings
In his defence, Joseph, from Ealing, claimed that in his psychotic state he feared Mr Rodney would kill him. "Rot in hell, rot in hell" someone shouted from the public gallery to Joseph as he was taken away from the dock at the Old Bailey on Thursday (June 18). Joseph paused at the court room door and turned around to look at the speaker before the judge told him to leave the court.
He was given a life sentence with a minimum 39-year term. A jury had found him guilty of murder, attempted murder, having a firearm with intent to endanger life, dangerous driving and possessing a shotgun.
Judge's Remarks
Judge Nigel Lickley KC told Joseph: "You have committed crimes of the utmost brutality. You have murdered Jordan Rodney, a person who showed you support and kindness by shooting him in the face at point blank range." Mr Rodney was shot at a distance of 30cm in the eye and the defendant’s brother, who survived, turned his head instinctively at the sound and put his hand up to protect his face. Relatives were nearby and "it is only by very good fortune that this is not a case of double murder", according to the judge.
He added Joseph committed his crimes "without regard for other people" and put "more lives at risk" as he tried to evade the police, including mounting a pavement, before crashing the car. The judge also noted Joseph "offered no explanation" for his behaviour and there had been some "clear thinking" in his actions in targeting members of his family.
The judge said he was satisfied Joseph knew that if he did not take his medication the paranoia would return, and it did, and there was a limited connection between his mental illness and his actions. The judge also said he was satisfied that it was not his illness itself that caused him to commit the crime.
Victim Impact Statements
Mr Rodney’s girlfriend Ashleigh Marshall shook and fought back tears as she spoke of her "kind, gentle and deeply caring" boyfriend and how his murder has destroyed her life. Ms Marshall said in court: "Every day I have to wake up and remind myself he is gone. The love he had for his family was everything to him. He would go out of his way to help anyone who needed it. He loved his family with everything he had. You took my future, my plans and everything we had dreamed of together in just one week you destroyed my whole life."
Two days after Mr Rodney died was her birthday, and two days later her nephew was born. She added: "These days were meant to be filled with happiness and celebration. You took my ability to feel happiness. I do not trust people the same way and do not feel safe anymore. The world feels completely empty. I used to tell Jordan I was scared of losing him, but I never thought it would be like this. Nothing you can say or do will ever take this pain from me, his family and everyone who loved him. Nothing will ever fix what you have done, but I need you to understand you did not just kill Jordan that day. You destroyed mine and so many other lives. You have not only destroyed me, you have hurt my family. My mum has seen her daughter fall apart and that pain will stay forever."
Previously, the Old Bailey heard Mr Rodney, 30, had been arguing with Joseph at the wake, with the defendant complaining he had not been sleeping. A relative then told the pair to keep the noise down before telling Joseph to go home. He later got on his Yamaha motorcycle armed with a shotgun and returned to the wake just before midnight.
After the shooting, Joseph returned home and drove his Mercedes car to a service station in Buckinghamshire where he bought a coffee. He went home in the early hours of June 12 and had a "bonfire" in the garden, the court was told. The chase ended when Joseph’s Mercedes collided head-on with another car and came to a stop. Joseph abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot through neighbouring gardens until he was eventually arrested in a garden. Officers recovered a sawn-off shotgun with the defendant’s DNA on it inside a black bag Joseph had thrown away during the chase.
Jurors were told Joseph had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was prescribed medication for it. His case was that he was unwell at the time of the shooting and acted as he did under the "reasonable belief" that he feared Mr Rodney would kill him.
In sentencing, the judge also noted the "moving and dignified" victim impact statements which showed how the family has been devastated by the attack. The deceased was remembered by his mother Ivinia Rodney as someone who loved his family who were proud of how "strong and ambitious" he had become. In a statement that was directed towards Joseph, and read out in court on her behalf, she said: "We as a family will never understand why you committed such an evil and horrific crime to our son Jo Jo." She added: "You made sure you took away that love from and and to make that worse Mr Joseph, you committed your evil crime at my niece’s wake and have shown no empathy."
In a letter read in court, Joseph’s mother Sherille Rodney said: "Having spoken, he is really confused. However, he accepts that it happened and he is devastated by it." She described the killing as a "complete shock" and said she could never have thought he was capable "of such an act".
